The Cowboys have announced that Tony Romo will play in Week 17. The Cowboys will play their starters for an undetermined amount of time, and then give way to Romo. It was previously announced that Mark Sanchez would play in place of Romo, but apparently, Jerry Jones has had a change of heart.

Cris agrees with the decision to play Romo, but thinks Dallas needs to make sure that he’s sufficiently protected behind a competent offensive line. He thinks that the move makes sense as a football decision so, so he’s okay with it.

Nick questions whether the decision is a football decision, and thinks that there are other factors in play. He thinks that the change of heart to sit Sanchez in favor of Romo smells like a product of his lobbying within the organization to get on the field. Nick agrees with the move from a football standpoint, and has said it’s better for Romo to get reps so he won’t be cold if he’s needed in the playoffs. He just questions the motivation for making it.

Why is Dez Bryant sending mean tweets to Cris Carter?

Dez Bryant fired off a tweet at Cris Carter calling him a “puppet” for comments he made earlier in the week that Dez Bryant was the least productive of all the receivers that have been targeted 90 or more times this year.

Cris has a personal relationship with Dez and holds him to a higher standard because of what he expected from him coming out of Oklahoma State. He still thinks Dez has greatness in him, but he doesn’t think it’s out of bounds in his job as an analyst to criticize Bryant for his lack of consistency, when it’s supported by facts.

Are the Packers a threat to win the NFC?

Nobody in the NFL is hotter than the Packers right now. Aaron Rodgers finally snapped out of his close to year-long funk, and is paying like a league MVP again. But, are they legitimate contenders to win the NFC?

Nick doesn’t think so. He thinks the idea that Green Bay, who has a losing road record on the year, will win two in a row on the road to get to the Super Bowl is far-fetched. He understands their defense is healthy, he just doesn’t think they’re very good.

CC disagrees with Nick, and thinks any team with arguably the single best player, like the Packers have in Rodgers, is always a threat to make a run in the playoffs. The Packers are hot. And CC has seen this movie before. Don’t sleep on Green Bay.

Guests:

Joel Klatt – FS1 College is in-studio to explain why he disagrees with the conventional wisdom that Bama is unbeatable, the keys to beating them, why playoff expansion isn’t as easy as it sounds, if Jake Browning is Washington’s biggest liability against Alabama, and why he thinks Clemson presents the biggest threat to Alabama.

Jim Fassel – Former New York Giants head coach is in-studio to relay the advice he has given his son since being named the interim coach of the Rams, if he thinks Tony Romo should play, who he would pick between Romo or Garoppolo this offseason, and if Dallas’ playoff opponents will look at the Giants games as a blueprint.